Albatross 18 was the US server for the online multiplayer golf game Pangya. When I think of a computer golf game, I remember my old Windows 95 computer which came with the game Microsoft Golf, which I thought was kinda boring. But Pangya isn't just your regular golf game, it's a fantasy golf game.

I was introduced to the game by a friend of mine. Who knew that playing golf could be so much fun?

At first, I was really bad at the game, and my pangya hit rate was under 30%, and being able to finish a course under par seemed like a distant fantasy. But over time, I gradually improved and was able to complete all courses under par easily (although the 3 star courses are still a challenge), and had a pangya hit rate of around 75% which allowed me to do special shots with some confidence.

Late 2008 and early 2009, the lack of updates from OGPlanet prompted many players to speculate that something big was coming, the hopeful thought of it as a sign that Season 4 was coming soon, while the pessimistic saw it as a sign of impending doom. As for myself, I wasn't sure what to think but to be on the safe side, I had refrained from buying more Astros. It would turn out to be a wise decision, for OGPlanet ceased it's Albatross 18 service on the 10th of March 2009.

Now that Ntreev USA has opened their Pangya service, I have downloaded the new game client and recovered my old Albatross 18 account, and before I uninstalled Albatross 18, I saved the collection of screen shots that I took...

Hole in One!

My first hole in one was at a par 3 hole on the course Blue Moon. Because I was in a state of shock and disbelief, I was unable to take a screen shot of it. I'm not skilled enough to pull off a hole in one at will, so when I do manage it, it's mostly due to luck.

The above screen shot shows the luckiest hole in one shot I ever made and my record for longest chip in. The course was Deep Inferno, which in my opinion, is the second hardest course after Silvia Cannon, and the greens are annoyingly uneven. I was using Kaz, whom I sacrified control and accuracy to have as much power as possible (normally I'm a control freak). As a result, I doubted that I would be able to pull off a special shot, so I didn't bother using any potions. Although the screen shot doesn't show it, through amazing luck, I was able to do a Tomahawk with power front spin. Super lucky!

Now for something completely different, the above hole in one was more about skill and maybe a little bit of luck. The wind was an unchallenging 1m, no obstacles between me and the hole, the green was generally flat, and my Scout had just the right amount of power and spin and near max control. I knew that as long as I pulled off a Tomahawk with power back spin, I would get a hole in one.

Albatross

An albatross is a score of -3, which in other words, means finishing a 5 par hole in 2 shots. Most of my albatross shots involve hitting the ball onto the green in the first shot and then putting it into the hole for the second shot. But occaisionally I'm lucky and manage to do a long chip in for the second shot. Below is just a selection of my favourite albatross screen shots.

Ice Cannon Hole 18

If I remember correctly, my first albatross was on hole 18 on the course Ice Cannon. I used to think it was impossible to get the ball to travel along the ice chute, but after watching how others manage to do it, I was able to learn to do it myself (aim at the left wall of the entrance of the ice chute and use spike with front power spin).

Ice Spa Hole 9 & 12

Shining Sand Hole 13

West Wiz Hole 13

Blue Lagoon Hole 15

Blue Moon Hole 12

Blue Water Hole 5 & 15

Tournaments

The first screen shot below shows the very first time (and possibly the only time) I came first in a tournament. Although the screen shot shows a bronze trophy, I didn't get one that time because too many people left the tournament. It is also one of my best scores for the course Ice Cannon at the time.

The second screen shot above shows the very first time I won a trophy in a tournament. As you can see, there's a big difference between my pang score and the pang score of the other people who won trophies. Since I almost never manage to chip in shots, I never though I could compete with "pros" and luck would've been a contributing factor in winning a trophy for me. Before A18 closed, I won a total of 1 bronze trophy and 2 silver trophies.